The students have started delving into the depths of effective storytelling and how to captivate an audience when reading aloud. Beginning this week, students will be exploring different activities based on books by the renowned children’s author, Robert Munsch. There are reading and listening activities, a media literacy activity, and assessments related to identifying the main idea and examples from the text to support their BIG IDEA claim. The students have sampled several books by this author, and have chosen a book that they feel a connection to or has sparked their interest level.
Throughout this unit, the students will rehearse their chosen book at home with parents and at school with peers, practice their oral fluency skills, and hone their presentation skills. The unit will wrap up with each student getting up before the class dressed as one of the characters from their book selection and reading the story to the class. Students may even want to memorize their chosen Munsch book! The students should use the next two to three weeks to prepare for their Robert Munsch book presentations which will take place AFTER March Break on Mar. 20th, 21st, and 22nd.
The students have been given a booklet of stapled activity sheets for this project. This booklet will be sent home this Friday (along with your child’s chosen Robert Munsch book) and must come back to school every day starting next week until the presentation date. Parents are asked to fill in the Practice Log at the back of this booklet regularly to indicate that their child has been practicing the reading of his/her chosen book! There is also a spot at the very back of the booklet for parents to give their children constructive feedback as the students prepare. Any work that is not completed in the time given in class at school during the day should be finished at home. (Again, please ensure that your child brings this booklet back to school each day next week). You can also help your child with the planning of his/her costume and prop ideas to enhance the presentation.
Here is the rubric for the presentation. A hard copy is also in your child’s booklet.
Last week, Mrs. Lewis and I organized for a guest presenter to come in and perform a few of his original stories for the grade 3 classes in the gym – very much in the style of Robert Munsch. He was absolutely FABULOUS! The students were engaged and many laughs were generated! Daniel the storyteller also spoke about the importance of using sound effects, onomatopeia, different volume levels of voice, and hand gestures when telling a story!
Here are a few pictures from previous years of students enjoying our Robert Munsch storytelling activity:
